This invention relates to guide mechanisms for positioning addresses on letters for machine sorting by postal services. In particular, it is a folder type of guide into which a postal envelope is placed for marking indicia to position a printed destination address for machine sorting of personal as well as business letters.
There are a wide variety of templates and guides for lettering. But none are known for positioning addresses on envelopes in a manner that is convenient for personal as well as for occasional or low-use-rate addressing of business letters as provided by this invention.
Examples of related but different prior art include the following U.S. patent documents:
______________________________________ 4,854,048 8/1989 Goulet 4,640,018 2/1987 Gigliotti 4,586,906 5/1986 Buccieri, Jr. 3,227,472 1/1966 Swift 1,827,375 10/1931 Schneider 1,441,440 1/1923 Mackness 684,142 10/1901 Ward 274,031 3/1883 Requa ______________________________________
The oldest prior art found, Requa, was a folder type of guide, but it was constructed specifically for aid in forming letters with handwriting. Like most of the prior art, it was a template for specific formation of lines related to alphabetical letters and numbers. By contrast, this invention is a guide for positioning of addresses on envelopes for machine sorting.
The remaining patents show various guide devises. For instance, Ward taught a hinged means for holding a soft-metal cutting bed in relation to a manual cutting tool. Schneider taught a template guide for folding letters to be inserted into window envelopes. Macknesss taught a template for measuring material. Swift taught a container for meter-reading cards. Buccieri, Jr. taught a lottery-marking guide with a folder having an opaque or transparent plastic template heat sealed along one edge. Gigliotti taught a folder-type checkbook recording device with templates. Goulet taught a template for assistance to truck drivers in entering daily information while in the cab of a truck.
Both business and personal mail which is addressed according to applicable rules and regulations can be sorted and handled much faster with sorting machines than mail that is improperly addressed and therefore must be sorted by hand. Consequently, such properly-addressed mail takes less time in reaching its destination addresses. There is, therefore, a need for a guide and methods for its use in addressing personal mail and occasional business mail in a manner that it will be sorted by automatic sorting machines to facilitate its handling and decrease its delivery time.